I am a Dogist.

I BELIEVE IN DOG... DOG IS LOVE… DOG IS MY CO-PILOT... DOG IS GOOD... HONK IF YOU LOVE DOG...

YOU KNOW, A DOGIST.

Without dog, I wouldn't be a photographer. I got into the business of shooting by way of my first Great Dane, Ishie. She was my heart and soul. She was an adventuring spirit that got bored doing the same thing twice. Like me. And she really loved long exploratory car rides. Like me. We were a very bonded pair. She had to just look at me and I knew exactly what she wanted or needed. I don't know why or how that happened, but it did and it was beautiful.

When you have a dog that you love madly and you can finally reconcile the ugly truth of their lifespan (7-13yrs), the next thing that happens to you is that you have this frenzied desire to capture every single moment you can, no matter how trivial or un-instagrammable it may be. 

By way of documenting Ishie's life, I learned that when it comes to being in charge of documenting memories, moments are everything. The little ones, the laughable ones, the awkward ones, the funny ones, the ugly-crying ones. Because it is those unscripted moments that awaken your senses and ignite your memory long after the moments have passed. 

I love that posed photo of her and I at the top left, but it is images like this photo on the left that jump-start my memories. She used to get so excited when I went down slides or spun around on playground saucers. She would make me laugh so hard with her clumsy great dane dance. And my laughter would get her even more excited, so she would grab my hand with her mouth (surprisingly gently) and pull me to play chase with her.  

Moments are everything.

So, when it comes to shooting your pets, I arrive with that pre-programmed in mind: "Moments are everything." Twenty years from now I want you to look back at your photos and remember exactly what that moment felt like, or exactly how hard your fur baby made you laugh.